DREAMSCAPE: The story as it should have been told
by cthulu45
Summary: I loved the original Dreamscape, the 1984 movie that starred Dennis Quaid but every review compared it to A Nightmare On Elm Street which I believe is nonsense. This is my version to shake off the so called similarities between the two and to tell a good story. Rated M for language, violence and some sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

Dreamscape

July, 1984

Chapter 1: Tests

The ambient temperature in the lab was always kept at a comfortable seventy degrees Fahrenheit.

Alex Gardner sat in the corner of the room, in front of a small coffee table, across from Dr. Paul Novotny and his assistant Dr. Jane DeVries. In the other larger corner section of the room were two very comfortable chairs that doubled as beds, next to each other connected by wiring, monitors and bisected by a large control console. The last two corners were a small changing room and a small bathroom.

The walls were painted white, dark blue industrial-grade carpet, the walls had a dark gray border along the floor and the ceiling. All of the furniture, except for the common area sofas and chairs, were stainless steel including the trays, the cabinets and desks.

Dr. Novotny set a tape recorder on the table and hit the play/record buttons at the same time. Both he and Dr. DeVries also had notepads to jot down notes.

Dr. Novotny was a tall older gentleman. Deep set wrinkles around the eyes divulged that he liked to laugh and smile a lot despite his usual dour demeanor. His hair was utterly white and his eyes were gray as a stormy sky. He was a serious man, dedicated to his work, excited by prospects and energized by discovery.

Dr. Jane DeVries was young, very pretty with permed hair and a lovely figure. Blonde and blue-eyed, she was also dedicated to her work, always being interested in nuance science. She stared at Alex, eagerly awaiting his oral report as though he was going to announce the cure for cancer.

Alex Garner wore a smirk on his handsome face, like a cat that swallowed the canary. He had sandy brown hair, blue eyes and a two day overgrowth on his face. He was smug because he was confident that the latest experiment was a success.

Dr. Novotny said, "So, Mr. Alex Gardner, how did the lucid dream go?"

Alex Gardner wasn't a specialist, particularly intelligent nor was he a doctor. His contribution to the experiments within dreams was that he was a psychic who could focus his mind and pick up surface thoughts of other people. During the initial trials, he showed the second highest promise of being able to successfully and intentionally enter a lucid state while in REM sleep. His electroencephalography (EEG) results showed increased beta-1 bands, much higher and more frequently than the other subjects.

"It went very well," Alex said.

Dr. Novotny asked, "Did you follow the daily instructions?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, I found a place in the dream to practice playing the saxophone."

"Approximately how long were you able to practice?" Dr. DeVries asked.

"An hour at least."

"Do you ever practice playing the saxophone while you're awake?" Dr. Novotny asked.

Alex shook his head, "No. We agreed that I would handle a saxophone while I'm awake so that I could become familiarized with it enough to picture it accurately while dreaming."

Dr. DeVries asked, "And are you able to picture the instrument accurately within your dreams?"

Alex nodded, smirk still on his face, "Yes."

"Do you personally own a saxophone?" Dr. Novotny asked.

"No."

The older man nodded his approval, "Have you ever had any prior training or classes on playing the saxophone?"

"No."

"How do you handle a saxophone daily if you don't own one in reality?" Dr. Novotny asked.

Alex said, "I have access to one within this facility. I familiarize myself with it under strict surveillance for at least an hour everyday."

"Strict surveillance?" Dr. DeVries wanted clarification. Their questions were merely a formality to establish and reinforce the experiment. Both Doctors already knew the answers to the questions they were asking so far.

Alex patiently answered the redundant questions, "There's a member of the team in the room with me the entire time. He makes sure that I just memorize details of the saxophone but don't play it."

"Is it your claim that over the past few months you have learned to play the saxophone solely by practicing it while lucid dreaming?" Dr DeVries asked.

"Yes."

Dr. Novotny smiled, "If we were to ask you to play us a song on the saxophone, could you do it?"

The smirk faltered, "Yes, although I'm not sure how it would sound in reality. I only know how it sounds within my dreams."

Dr. Novotny reached down and plucked the instrument from the table and handed Alex the saxophone, "We would like to hear what you've learned so far by practicing within your lucid dreams."

Alex sighed, "Okay but again, I have no idea how this is going to sound. Don't say I didn't warn you." He slipped the neck strap on, positioned his hands and placed the mouthpiece between his lips. After a few seconds, a deep haunting rumble came out. Through a series of haunting and melancholy notes, Alex was indeed playing the saxophone at a novice level. It was an eerie and dark melody but unmistakably good.

When he finished, Dr. DeVries started to applause but then stopped when Dr. Novotny shot her a look of disapproval, "Very good Alex," Dr. Novotny smiled at him, "Very good indeed."

"What would you describe as the most difficult part of lucid dreaming?" Dr. DeVries wanted to know. From this point, the two Doctors would begin the real questions, the formalities dropped.

Alex thought about it, "Well, being able to become conscious within the dream is challenging. As you know, I have failed to do so numerous times. But after I'm lucid dreaming, the hardest part is not acting out. There's so much freedom that it has taken a lot of willpower over the last few months to get to the saxophone room and practice instead of exploring the dream world."

"Describe as best you can, what the difference is between a normal dream and a lucid one," Dr. Novotny said.

Alex spoke slowly to be as articulate as possible, "Normal dreams are out of focus, like looking through a faintly fogged up window. You can tell what you're looking at in the dream overall but there are very little details unless you focus on something like a person's face or something close by. Those focused areas are sharp but the vast surroundings are always blurry and not detailed. A lucid dream is completely different. You can see everything clearly, colors, horizons and textures. You can even see your surroundings from several points of view that are impossible in reality."

"Please elaborate," Dr. DeVries said. She was swiftly taking notes.

"In one dream, I was in a car parked on a lonely mountain road at night. I decided to move the car but instead of starting the engine, suddenly I was out of the car, looking down on it like I was a giant or something. I picked the car up and flew it around the lonely dark valley in my hand like a kid does with a toy airplane. When I realized I was close to waking up, I needed to put the car back where it was. So I looked for the tire tracks and lined them up setting the car down perfectly in its correct place. Then I became aware that I was too big to fit inside the car so I started shrinking myself down to the right size. My angle of vision changed as I shrunk, the car got bigger, the ground got closer and my surroundings were leveling out because I wasn't giant sized anymore. Before I could climb back into the vehicle, I woke up."

"That's amazing," Dr. Novotny told him, "Are there any other differences from normal dreams and lucid ones?"

Alex explained, "Normal dreams constantly shift. There's no sense of movement, your attention is drawn to a place and you're there. You want to talk to someone and you're suddenly next to them. There's no perception of travel, no concept of time, no sense of environment, weather, or temperature. Its either daytime or night. Nothing in between. Lucid dreams are different than that. You have a divine sense of awareness, great details on your perceptions. You are aware of all the things normally ignored in normal dreams."

"Excellent," The older man said.

"Where would you explore first within the lucid dream?" Dr. DeVries asked him.

Alex thought about it for a few moments, "I think I would try to find your house, Jane. Maybe take you on a romantic horseback ride around the moonlit countryside," He was smiling at her.

Dr. DeVries blushed.

"All right, Alex. That's enough." Dr. Novotny said.

Alex was still smiling, "Sorry."

"What if I told you," Dr. Novotny said in a conspiratorial tone, "that by using your psychic gift of detecting surface thoughts, it might be possible for you to enter another person's dream?"

Alex laughed.

Both Doctors watched him closely.

Alex stopped laughing. His smile vanished, "You're being serious?"

"Absolutely."

Alex folded his arms across his chest, "Bullshit."

Dr. Novotny leaned towards the coffee table, "No. No bullshit, Alex. I'm quite serious."

"How?"

"The entire reason you are here, is to see if we can link a lucid dreamer into another person's dream. I believe with the right amount of focus, you could not only enter the dream, but also interact with the dreamer and manipulate the dream as if it were your own."

"Bullshit."

Dr. DeVries said, "We've already run preliminary tests. So far, the lucid dreamer can enter the dream but can't manipulate it. The last few attempts, the lucid dreamer couldn't even find the the other person within the dream. But the link between the two dreamers _has_ been made. The link has already been established."

Alex smirked again, "I say we test the theory right here and now. Dr. DeVries, lay down in one of those chairs, fall asleep and I'll try to enter-"

"Dammit, Alex! Be serious for once!" Dr. Novotny scolded. He leaned forward and switched off the tape recorder.

"I _am_ being serious."

"Like hell."

Dr. DeVries said, "We've already had this conversation, Alex. We're professionals. All this flirting is unacceptable."

"Sorry but I can't stop being me," Alex said.

Dr. Novotny removed his glasses and cleaned them, "Starting tomorrow night, you will have full reign over your lucid dreams, Alex. No assignments, no tests. I want you to explore, try out new things, try and fully control your lucid dreams."

"So I can finally do whatever the hell I want within my dreams?"

Dr. Novotny nodded, "No holds barred. No restrictions."

"This is going to be so much fun," Alex said.


	2. Chapter 2

Dreamscape

July, 1984

Chapter 2: Glatman

Since the experiment was going to take months, possibly years to complete, the participants were lodged at the facility within dorm rooms. There were over one hundred others in the Lucid Dream Program (LDP) besides Alex, all of them at various stages of the experiment. Some were still at the beginning test, which was entering a lucid dream, at will, more often than not. Others were at the second stage, which was controlling the lucid dream to a point of learning and teaching oneself within the dream, as Alex had the saxophone. Only Alex had begun the third phase of the experiment, which was controlling and maintaining the lucid dream for extended periods of time.

Alex was excited to explore the dream world. He nearly preferred the dream world to reality, but could never admit it. Dr. Novotny had warned against this preference saying that it could be detrimental to his grasp of real responsibility and result in his shunning of real problems.

The dorms were located on the second floor of the four story institute. Alex stepped out of the elevator and walked to his dorm room, his mind alive with the possibilities of what he might find as he explored the world of dream.

The door to his room was open.

The rooms were as plain as hospital rooms, dark gray tile swirled with gold, light yellow walls, cheap wooden furniture including a single bed, sometimes stacked bunk beds, a desk, a chair, a nightstand and a bookcase. Alex had made his room as homey as possible with a few framed pictures, a few rugs and a television. Since he kept some valuables in his room, the door was always locked.

Alex stepped to the doorway of his room and saw Tommy Ray Glatman sitting on his bed.

 _Great._

Tommy Ray Glatman was the number one participant with the LDP, the only one that was further along than Alex. Apparently, Tommy Ray was already entering other sleeper's dreams, an amazing break though, which was the fourth phase of testing. Normally, the other participants within the same program would be excited for the leader but Tommy Ray was not deserving of any praise or celebration. He shunned all the other LDP people like the plague, as if he were a celebrity, treating them all as though they were below him.

Tommy Ray was looking at Alex's dream journal, thumbing through the pages.

In order to set up triggers during the sleep sequence during the first phase, participants attempting lucid dreaming were required to keep a dream journal, in which the person jotted down details of the dream before they were forgotten. By doing this, dreamers were more likely to realize they were in a dream and be able to attempt to take control. Since Alex had already mastered lucid dreaming, he hadn't kept up his journal in weeks. Still, he felt violated having a snake like Tommy Ray perusing his private writings.

Alex took a few steps towards Tommy Ray and snatched the journal out of his hands, "How're you doing Tommy," He growled, "Make yourself at home, why don't you?"

"You have some fucked up dreams, Al," Tommy Ray smirked.

"Never you mind. What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"In a cherry blossom's shade there is no such thing as a stranger," Tommy Ray said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"We're not in a garden, asshole."

"Wow," Tommy Ray feigned astonishment, "I thought we were friends, Al."

Alex wanted him out of his room. He never liked Tommy Ray, didn't trust him at all. Most people characterized by one word could be summed up in an overall positive way: Friendly, helpful, generous, warm or something similar. Alex could only come up with one word to describe Tommy Ray, empty. To Alex, it seemed that Tommy Ray was devoid of compassion, respect or love. He was empty inside, like a giant dark void residing within him, draining others of their feelings, energy, warmth and caring.

"We're not friends, Tommy, and my name isn't Al, its Alex. Get it right, for once."

Tommy Ray smiled, "Whatever you say, Al."

Alex was a few inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than the other man but for some reason, Tommy Ray still seemed dangerous and intimidating, like a venomous snake. The smile on his face was wide but it was devoid of any emotion, like a mask.

Tommy Ray said, "I wanted to congratulate you on your progress."

"Thanks."

"Even though I'm light years ahead of you," Tommy Ray said, "its good to have someone nipping at my heels. I find it, _motivating_." As with everything the man said, the congratulation was a falsehood. Tommy Ray felt threatened and was probably trying to slow Alex down through false comfort, maybe intimidate him by putting pressure on him or some other hidden agenda to foul Alex's progress up.

Alex grinned, "You're still weeks ahead of me and I'm weeks ahead of everyone else."

"But I'm still number one," Tommy Ray pointed out.

"For now."

Tommy Ray continued, "I'm actually here to give you some advice."

Alex scoffed, "You love being number one in the LDP, Tommy. You rub it in everyone's face every chance you get. Why would you want to help me?"

Tommy Ray strolled over to the bookshelf, studying the titles on some of Alex's books, "Because I'm stuck."

If Tommy Ray felt threatened that Alex might soon surpass him, perhaps that was enough motivation to actually help other members, get their opinions and ideas. Anything, that in the long run, would help him stay number one. Alex decided to hear him out, "What are you stuck on?"

Tommy Ray was still smiling his cold, impassive grin, "I'm sure you've heard all about it from Dr. Novotny and that bitch doctor. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. It insults my intelligence."

Ever since Tommy Ray realized Alex's crush on Dr. Jane DeVries, he began to insult her every chance he got. Whether he was trying to annoy, anger or start a fight, Alex had no idea but he had always just let the insults slide, "Fair enough," Alex relented, "I heard you were successful at entering a host's dream but couldn't control it and then during the last few attempts you couldn't even make contact with your dream host."

"Correct," Tommy Ray chuckled, "See? I knew you already heard. Why do you insist on playing these little fucking childish games with me?"

"I'm not playing games, Tommy."

"Then why pretend you didn't know that I've hit a roadblock?"

Alex sighed, "I was trying to be courteous."

"Courteous? By being dishonest with me?"

Alex glared at him, "Look, I'm about ready to throw your ass out of my room."

"Do it then," Tommy Ray said. The smile was gone. He turned and faced Alex.

The snake was coiled, ready to strike. Alex was tempted to fight, his instinct was to defend his room against the trespasser but he didn't know how the institute would react to two LDP members engaging is a fistfight. He decided to try diplomacy, "Say what you have to say then get the fuck out."

Tommy Ray said, "You're going to start exploring the dream world, right?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever you do, don't go down. Stay on the surface," He started to walk past Alex.

"That's it? That's your _big_ advice?"

Tommy Ray stopped, his back to Alex, "From what I can tell, the dreamscape is layered like a cake. The surface is ours, every person that dreams goes there then leaves when they wake up."

Alex almost burst out laughing but held his humor in check. Laughing in Tommy Ray's face was sure to start a fight. He decided to play along, "Are you saying that the dream world is another dimension that we unconsciously visit during our dreams?"

Tommy Ray turned to face him, "That's exactly what I'm saying, Al. I've seen the lower levels, what dwells there. I got scared to death. Stay on the surface, you'll be a lot safer."

He could tell by Tommy Ray's expression that he was serious. Alex was stunned, "Safer?"

"This advice isn't free. I wanted to help save you some misery so that later, if I need to, I could ask your opinion about a few things. I figured, maybe we could help each other out."

Alex was still shocked. From what he knew, the dream world was simply a state of mind, a temporary reality in which the brain created in order to cleanse, heal and reboot itself. If the dreamscape was actually another place, an existing alternate dimension, then the possibilities of exploration and discovery were mind blowing. Alex had a flood of questions he wanted to ask, "Dr. Novotny knows all of this? He's aware that the dream world is possibly another dimension?"

Tommy Ray laughed, "You think I would tell Novotny and his whore assistant? They would only slow me down by requiring more tests. They would invent ways to prove that the dream world isn't imaginary. Science is methodical and by that virtue, its progress is slow. I don't want them to hinder me any more than they already have."

"Our tests on lucid dreams could be dangerous though."

Tommy Ray laughed again, "Dangerous how?"

"You're going into uncharted waters. How can you possibly know whether its safe or not?"

"I didn't know you were such a pussy, Al. I don't care what you think or what you say, you tell anyone, I'll deny it. If you want to get slowed down, you want those fucking doctors crawling all over you for proof that dreams are in another dimension, you go ahead and tell them. See where that gets you. Meanwhile, I'll keep cruising all alone to the finish line."

Alex couldn't remember ever despising anyone more than he did Tommy Ray Glatman. In his thirty-two years of being alive, no one had ever insulted, shocked, pissed off or surprised Alex more. Tommy Ray was an assassin of character. His sharp tongue and cruel wit always struck at Alex when he least expected it. He found himself always on the defensive whenever he dealt with Tommy Ray, a position he hated being forced into.

Alex sighed in resignation, "Fine. I won't say anything about this conversation. Will you at least keep me informed? Let me know what else you discover during your exploration?"

"Sure, Al. As long as you do the same. Don't hold out on me. No more little games between us. We can hate each other but that shouldn't stop our progress. Together, we can rule the dreamscape."

Alex sighed, "Deal."  
Tommy Ray Glatman said, "Remember, stay on the surface." He left Alex's room.

As soon as he was gone, Alex felt better. He was no longer on edge, no longer on the defensive. Tommy Ray seemed to steal the life right out of his bedroom, like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.

Alex sat down on his bed, his thoughts on what Tommy Ray said.

As he looked at the floor absentmindedly, the room seemed to become brighter. Had the suffocating presence that was Tommy Ray Glatman, actually dim the lighting in his room? Alex knew he hadn't imagined it. His room seemed brighter, happier now that Tommy Ray had left.

His soul-sucking presence had always been considered emotional but now, Alex wasn't so sure. There was no arguing that Tommy Ray possessed a cold aura, like an arctic glacier, but instead of emotional, the aura was physical, draining entire rooms of energy, happiness and light.

Could it be that through exploration of the dreamscape, Tommy Ray had unwittingly brought back something from the dark recesses, something that had attached to him, like a parasite, invisible to the naked eye, which was responsible for the aura?

Alex shivered.

His first test run exploring the dreamscape had been so exciting moments before but now Alex dreaded the thought. As usual, Tommy Ray had ruined his mood and spoiled his outlook.

Alex wondered if he should tell the doctors about the dreamscape dimension regardless. Unless Tommy Ray was full of shit, a fact that was entirely possible, then this discovery could be huge, too important to withhold. On the other hand, Alex had been working with Dr. Novotny for years now. He knew how meticulous the old man was. The doctor would require proof of any such claim prior to acceptance. Alex could be stuck for months simply trying to provide undisputed evidence that the dreamscape was an alternate dimension than earth.

Alex decided to keep quiet about the dreamscape, at least for the time being.


	3. Chapter 3

Dreamscape

July, 1984

Chapter 3: Dream

Alex was lying down on the laboratory bed, electrodes pasties and wires streaming from him like fine strands of multicolored spaghetti. The overhead lighting was dimmed to help him relax. Alex shifted his position slightly, making himself as comfortable as possible.

Dr. Novotny, who was watching Alex from the control station with Dr. DeVries and a few other staff members, spoke through the earpiece to Alex, "You may now begin your deep breathing exercises."

Alex began to breathe deeply and rhythmically, focusing his mind to fall into a deep sleep but to maintain lucidity. Deeper he sank into relaxation as if the room were the surface, and his sleep was a pool of water. Slowly he drifted beneath, sinking into the soft gloom.

His mind wandered for a few seconds then he suddenly found himself in the central grounds of the Institute. Night had fallen, but all of the lamp posts that usually illuminated the pretty grass, relaxed trees and park benches, were unlit, basking the entire area in peaceful shadow.

Alex looked at his hands and saw they were slightly distorted. He was dreaming. He looked up at the night sky, expecting to see the familiar blackness festooned with twinkling stars like diamonds on black velvet. Surprised, he saw that the sky was inky black gradually becoming a Navy blue towards the horizon. There were no stars.

Again, he resisted the notion of exploring the area, instead wanting to see how well he could control and influence the dreamscape.

Alex focused his mind, trying to move a nearby bench with just his thoughts. Nothing happened. He raised his palm towards the bench, curling his fingers at it as though he were trying to grip it and used his mind to imagine pulling the bench to him. He was shocked to see that the bench, its four stubby legs grinding and grating loudly along the sidewalk, began to slowly move, bouncing slightly. Alex imagined he could fling the bench like a baseball and he made a violent motion of casting the bench away.

Amazingly, the bench was hurled off to his right, spinning in the air like a boomerang. It crashed on top of the grass. Alex laughed with delight.

He decided to try his telekinesis on an anchored item so he aimed at one of the lamp posts. He pulled it with his mind. He could hear a cracking, screeching noise as the post tore away from its mount, the anchoring bolts snapping like pretzels. Alex cast the lamp post at the park bench and to his delight, the post crashed violently into it.

 _I'm learning how to control my dreams!_

In his excitement, Alex felt his grip on the dream slipping, his mind was becoming aware of the laboratory sleeping area. He fought to maintain control, relaxing his mind and executing his deep breathing exercises.

Slowly, methodically, Alex sank back into the dream but it had changed. The surroundings of the laboratory slowly faded away like shadows fleeing from light. He found himself in front of the dull faces of gravestones lined up along the dark earth. There were black trees, stained like charcoal as if they had been burned but remained standing, their branches thin, gnarled and twisted like long deformed fingers. He was holding a torch, its flickering light was the only illumination leaving the shrouded cemetery cast in shifting shadows.

 _What the hell am I doing here?_

Since he had earlier moved objects with his will, perhaps he could change his location as well. He closed his eyes, focusing on Dr. Jane DeVries, he felt his will unraveling, casting out into the night like a fishing line, seeking her out. Alex could feel her, he knew what direction she was in, if he could just pinpoint her location. Again he cast out his willpower like a long line far into the night, searching for her but failing so he cast out again, relentless in his quest to find her.

 _Almost! Just a little longer._

Alex was interrupted by a shrill scream.

It sounded like a child, maybe a young girl. The scream was fraught with terror.

She screamed again, more panicked this time, more desperate.

Alex ran in her direction.

There was a thick fog suddenly, as if from nowhere. He could barely see a few feet in front of him.

Off to his right, he heard footsteps of someone running, panicked breaths wheezing and sobbing. Alex chased after the sounds.

He neared a high stone bridge, its form loomed out of the fog so promptly that he gasped in surprise. The bridge was rickety, misshapen and deteriorating. What was once a proud creation of masonry and iron was now a crumbling rusty ruin, gaping holes in the supports, piles of fallen stones at its base as it slowly fell apart.

Under the sagging haunch and beside the crumbling abutment, there was a form there, standing as tall as a man but thinner, much thinner. Its wispy form was only noticeable because of the shadow it was casting.

Alex drew closer and saw that it was a skeleton, a specimen of aligned and constructed bone that could adorn a science lab. From behind, he saw that instead of a dull yellowish color, the bones were dark with stringy material hanging from the entire frame. The skeleton turned its head and looked at him. The sockets were ablaze with an reddish orange glow like hellfire.

 _Oh God._

Slowly turning its body toward him, the skeleton's jaw worked open and closed as if silently cursing him. Alex felt coils of fear tightening around him.

The front of the thing was still partial whole, slick strips of rotting flesh dangled, hideous exposed and discolored intestines glistened from below the dark rib cage.

Alex heard another awful scream, very close and realized that he was hearing himself cry out in terror. He turned to run from the abomination but it reached out for him, clawing at his clothing.

He screamed again and fought to free himself from the skeleton's clutches wincing at the rattling sounds that its bones made as it moved, its lip less teeth clacking together as its jaws worked, silently condemning him to death.

The skeleton seized his arm, its bony gnarled fingers digging into his skin like sharp teeth. Alex twisted and pulled, trying to get away from the thing but the more he struggled, the more control it seemed to gain over him. The torch fell from his grip.

The skeleton was much stronger than he was. It gripped him by the shoulders and lunged at him with its jaws wide open, its wet shriveled tongue was visible for a second within its maw like a mottled slug. Alex screamed in pain as its teeth sank into his shoulder. He freed one of his arms and tried to punch and kick the damned monster, but his movements were sluggish as though he was underwater. His strikes were ineffective and weak.

The filthy skeleton released his shoulder, it turned its head towards his face and bit him. The top teeth sank into his right ear and its bottom teeth crushed down on his chin. Alex screamed in panic, the pain was unbearable. He could feel his blood rushing out from the terrible wounds, drenching him. He could smell its rank breath. It smelled of death.

 _Wake up!_

Alex knew his only chance at salvation was to wake up and leave this grisly beast behind. The skeleton shifted its grip grabbing him by the throat it bit his face again, the angle of the bite only slightly changing but the pain was so overpowering that Alex dropped to his knees.

He was screaming like a madman, flailing and struggling, trying to free himself as the skeleton slowly tore him to shreds.

 _Alex, wake up!_

The plea to awaken was not his own thoughts as he had initially reasoned. Someone was calling him, someone very far away. Alex cringed, trying to protect himself as the skeleton lifted his chin, baring his vulnerable throat. Its teeth were dripping with his blood, the eyes blazed with a hellish glow, its jaws snapped open to tear out his throat.

Alex woke up in the laboratory thrashing, twisting and kicking so violently that he had fallen off the laboratory bed and was on the floor. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, was he still dreaming? Dr. DeVries was kneeling down beside him, speaking to him, saying things but Alex couldn't hear her. He could see her lips moving, her tongue forming words but he couldn't hear anything but a roaring sound in his ears deafening him.

The roaring sound was in his head, drowning out all other sounds. As he inhaled suddenly, the roaring sound ceased. He had been screaming, the roaring sound was his own raspy terrified howl.

"Alex!" He could hear Dr. DeVries now, her voice was soothing like an angel's, "Calm down, you're okay now. You're safe. It was a nightmare. You just had a terrible dream."

Alex was in pain. He was bathed in sweat, his body bruised and battered from all the wild thrashing. He panted, completely out of breath, "My God."

Dr. DeVries helped him to his feet, "Are you okay? Do you want some coffee?"

"No. Fine."

Alex was reeling. The dream which he was initially controlling swiftly got the upper hand over him. He could still feel remnants of the painful bites on his face and the claws on his shoulders. The attack was so vicious, so sudden that he was unable to concentrate, helpless to try and bend the dream to his will in order to defeat the awful corpse.

Dr. DeVries half escorted, half carried Alex to the report couch. He fell onto it, his legs kicking the coffee table. Dr. Novotny sat down in one of the chairs. Reluctant to leave him, Dr. DeVries sat down in her usual spot, taking out her note pad.

"What happened?" Dr. Novotny asked.

"I was at this Institute," Alex began, "and I began to use my will to control my surroundings." To his horror, as he narrated his dream to the two doctors, vivid pictures of his dream began flashing before his eyes, almost as if he were returning to the dream, watching it flicker in synchronicity like a movie on an old film reel before him. Each scene was jumpy and jerky as the visions ticked off. He watched himself silently destroy the park bench then rip the lamp post off its mounts.

"I started to wake up," Alex continued. He really didn't want to relive the nightmare, but he kept going, almost against his will, "But I got my breathing under control and I managed to calm myself down, remained asleep. I was in a cemetery, holding a torch. It was very dark. I wanted to leave, I didn't want to be in a graveyard so I tried to find another place. Then I heard a scream." Something strange was happening to him, to his mind, as if he were in a trance of some sort, a marionette on strings, behaving and performing to the whim of an unknown and unseen puppet master.

Alex leaned forward on the couch, his head cupped in his hands. What the hell was going on? In the pit of his stomach, he felt nausea, his face still ached from the biting, his body was worn out from struggling against the dreamed up adversary, yet despite his current physical state, he continued on describing his dream, "I went to see who was screaming and ran into a thick fog. I could barely see. I heard someone running and followed them. I wanted to help. I wanted to see if I could help them."

Dr. Novotny said, "Why did you allow the dream to transform? You should have easily been able to pull yourself back to the Institute if you wanted to."

Alex could hear the question but he was too distracted to answer. He was hoping that the flickering vision would fade before coming to the worst part but he could still see it. The memory of the dream rolled on, he was helpless to stop it.

Alex saw the bridge again, the crumbling remnant and then he saw the rotted skeleton. He gasped, not realizing he had been holding his breath.

Dr. Novotny said something else but Alex didn't hear him. The flickering reel of pictures in his mind's eye continued on in silent movie fashion. The skeleton turned toward him.

Dr. DeVries got up from her seat, "Alex? Are you all right?"

Alex felt the same fear come over him, the same primal terror coiling around him. The eyes of the skeleton blazed, the rotting flesh dangled. It reached for him in the dream before his eyes. Alex recoiled in horror, upsetting the coffee table again, the couch was slid noisily as he tried to climb backward over it.

He could feel the horrible claws digging into his flesh as the monster grabbed him. Alex thrashed and screamed. He was aware that it was only a vision, a mere memory that he was observing but the fear was real. The _pain_ was real.

Both doctors came around the coffee table trying to help him, trying to calm him down. Their attempts to corral his panic were futile. They couldn't see what he was experiencing nor could either of them feel his pain.

Alex watched as the skeleton bit into his shoulder. He was wracked with waves of agony. He cried out and fought to escape, knowing what was coming next but he had no where to go. Even though his suffering was tangible, the dream wasn't. He was in the Laboratory with no where to run. He closed his eyes, trying to squeeze out the visions ticking off in his mind, desperately trying to stop the movie from playing over in his head but it was no use.

The skeleton's teeth sank into his face.

Alex screamed in anguish. Finally, mercifully, darkness overcame him.

He had fainted.


End file.
